RAFA BENITEZ will run a gauntlet of hate from Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge tomorrow – after criticising them for the second time in two days.

Chelsea will scrutinise the level of discord directed at Benitez tomorrow when his side host West Brom and, if it is affecting the team’s performance and therefore hindering hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, his position could become untenable.

Benitez remained in power yesterday in the wake of his outburst towards fans for “wasting their time with banners”, following the 2-0 FA Cup win at Middlesbrough and says he will see out the season before leaving his role.

But in another interview yesterday with the BBC, he could not resist yet another dig at Chelsea supporters as he said: “This group of fans that are singing or creating banners or whatever have to concentrate on supporting the team.

“The rest of the fans – the majority – know and everybody knows, that it is really important to finish in the top three or top four to be in the Champions League next year.

“I’m thinking about my team. I want to win every game. If I can explain that the way to help the team is to support the players every single game at home, it will be easier for us.

“But if they continue like Wednesday, singing when we were winning 2-0, that does no favours to our team or our players, especially when we are at home.

“But my relationship with the staff at Cobham is really good – fantastic. My relationship with the owner is really good.

Rafa Benitez says he has a good relationship with Roman Abramovich

This group of fans that are singing or creating banners or whatever have to concentrate on supporting the team

Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez

When I meet Roman Abramovich, we talk about football and he tells me, ‘I like this, or I don’t like that’. So we talk like normal people, but then we share a passion for football. He likes football a lot.”

Owner Abramovich is understood to accept that the Spaniard was not criticising him during a post-match interview on Wednesday when he claimed Chelsea had made a “massive mistake” in giving him the title interim manager.

He also attacked a group of fans for having an “agenda” against him. Abramovich was personally behind the decision to hire Benitez after dismissing Roberto Di Matteo and believed the fans would turn if results were positive. But relations could deteriorate yet further following Benitez’s untimely eruption and there is no shortage of potential replacements: Avram Grant, Manuel Pelligrini, Michael Laudrup, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Gianfranco Zola have all been linked with the job.

Chief executive Ron Gourlay and sporting director Michael Emenalo, were at the training ground in Cobham yesterday and it is inconceivable that they did not speak to Benitez, who retains support from within the dressing room from players such as Juan Mata and David Luiz.